Means for deicing propeller spinners



Mardi 14, 1944; H M, MCCQY v 2,343,918

MEANS FOR DEICING PROPELLER SPINNERS Filed May .11, 1945 #0W/Ra M /VcCoy Patented Mar. 14, 1944 UNITED MEANS Fon DEICINGTPROPELLER sPiNNERsHowardM. McCoy; Pattersonv Field, Ohio Appli'cation-1May-11,.1943,Serial No. 486,501"l 6 Claims; (Cl. 244-134) (Granted :,undenthe act oiMarchlS, 1883, as

, amendedv April 30,1928; 370.0.v G. '757) The invention describedherein-'maybe manu-V factured and used rby or for Government forvgovernmental purposes, withoutthe payment to me f of any royaltythereon."

This Ainvention vrelates to improvements ini means for preventing theformation of ice on air-Y plane propeller spinners.

The problem of icing on airplanes has always been a 'serious one andwith severe icing vconditions prevailing up tof25,000 ft., wellbelow'the operating ceiling of modern aircraft,- andl with militarydemands consistently requiring'flights underhaza-rdous weatherconditions, the problem isl one of rst rrate importance. To preventVicing of airplane wings, rubber "boots are installed on theleadingedges and by means ofair pressure alternately applied and relieved vsuchboots are inflated and-donated to crack and break up the ice so that theairstream will carry it away. At this time propeller blades'are'usuallyprotected against icing by yanti-icing fluid continuously applied whileicing conditions obtain. Ice formation on propeller hubs and pitchcontrolmechanisms is inhibited by rubber covered Spinners. spinners andtheir slower speeds due to the use of reduction gearing there is moreneed than heretofore vfor apparatus which,will prevent ice from formingon spinners.

Objects of the present invention are to provide reliable apparatus forpreventing ice formation on propeller spinners which does not materiallyincrease the weight of the airplane, which requires little power foroperation, which may be installed in existing types of airplanes withoutinterference with other apparatus and which does not affect theperformance of the airplane. A specific object is to provide apparatusof the character indicated whose cycle or rate of movement may becontrolled by the pilot or other operator. Other objects will appearfrom the following description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention shown vin the accompanying drawing.

In said drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, more or less diagrammatic, of apropeller spinner with the apparatus for de-icing installed;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a diagram of the apparatus.

Referring particularly to the drawing, a propeller spinner 5 has tworeinforcing fdiaphragms 6, 1 between which the propeller hub (not shown)is mounted. An annular bearing support 8 is Because of the increasensize of` secured to or is integral with diaphragm] and is coaxial withthe propeller'shaft (not shown).

Mounted on annular` .support 8 is al ring gear Si.v andball bearings'lare provided to allow said f gearto rotate'relative 'toits support or to'be' stationary while thesupport rotates with the propeller.'A -In-otherwords gear 9 is a free floating.

gear.` Tolgovern rotation of' gear 9, a brake I I,

which may behydraulic, electrical or mechanifcal, is mounted onthe-'enginenose .I2 Aorother stationary structure, and is controlled bya-conventional 'control IIa accessible to the pilot. Brake: I I has a'shaft I3 and a pinion I4 meshing with gear 9. A rotary'r air pump I5 ismounted on diaphragm'T and isdrivenv by a shaft I6 carrying pinionI'Imeshing withgeari 9. A rotary dis-- tributor l.valve I8 is also securedto diaphragm'T and is -driven by pinion I9 meshing with gear 9.. ItwillVbe clearthat as` the air pump and distributor valve revolve withk thepropeller about its axis the reactions from their pinions on-the ringgear 9 cause the -latterfto rotate onbearings III.v But when the ringgear is Vbraked both the air pump and the distributor valve will bedriven at a speed f proportional to the degreerofbrakingyi.e., thegreater the braking effort,the higher the speed of the pump, etc.

Secured to the outside of 'the spinner 5 are one or more inflatablevannular cells 20, 2|, 22, each preferably composed of rubber, each cellbeing sealed to the atmosphere and closed to the other cells, so that itmay be iniiated and deiiated independently. A exible cover 24, which maybe of textile material or rubber, encloses the three cells and issecured by conventional means (not shown) to the outside of the spinner.In Fig. 1 cell 20 is deflated, cell 2| is inliated and cell 22 is`deated, while the dot and dash lines indicate the iniiation cf cells 20and 22 respectively. The compressed air is conducted from the pumpthrough a tube 25 to the distributor valve. As the distributor valve isrotated compressed air under pressure of 7 to 10 lbs. per sq. in. isconducted through tubes 26, 21, 28 to the cells in sequence and isexhausted from them sequentially, the exhausts owing back through tubes26, y21 and 28 to the distributor valve and out through exhaust pipe 29leading tothe air pump. As pipe 29 is a low pressure line it isindicated in dotted lines, while the high pressure side of the system isshown in full lines.

The preferred system also includes a pressure relief valve 30, a checkvalve 3l, and an air filter 32 having another pressure relief valve 33(for discharge of excess air Land moisture). All these4 parts, plus theair pump, distributor valve and tubing, must be balanced statically anddynamically, since the entire system (except the brake) rotates with thespinner.

Obviously the invention is not restricted to the particular mechanismherein shown by way of illustration but may'assume various forms neithershown nor described.

What I claim is: y

comprising, in combination, one or more inflatable and deiiatable cellsmounted on the outside of the spinner to rotate therewith; a. pump.

v .10` 1. De-icing apparatus for propeller spinners.

derived from the rotating spinner and controlled by the operator to varythe speed of operation of both of said means and to stop both of saidmeans.

5. De-icing apparatus for airplane propeller spinners comprising, incombination, an inflatable `envelope adapted tobe secured on the outsideof the spinner; a ring gear carried on the inside of the spinner androtatable independently of the spinner about the axis thereof; a rotaryvalve fixed inside the spinner to rotate about the spinner axis; apinion on the rotary valve meshing with the ring gear; a rotary air pumpAiixed inside the spinner to rotate therewith; a

pinion on the air pump meshing with the ring gear; atube connecting theoutput side of the air pump with the rotary valve; another tubeconnecting the rotary valve with the interior of e the inatableenvelope; so that compressed air peller shaft; the pump having a pinionalso meshing with thering gear to rotate the latter synchronously withthe propeller, except when the brake restrains such rotationv to operatethe pump and the discharge-controllingl means to iniiate and deflatesaid cells. Y

3. In combination with a propeller spinner, a flexible envelopesurrounding and fixed to the spinner; a pump on the inside of androtating with the spinner and adapted to deliver compressed air to theenvelope; intermittently acting means to discharge air from the envelopeso that deation follows inflation at regular inter.-

vals means supported inside the spinner to drive the pump; the lastnamed means normally rotating with the pump; and an operator-controlledbrake engaging the last named means toy slow up or stop rotation of thesame, thereby to operate the pump at variable speeds.

4. In combination with a propeller spinner, an inflatable envelope onthe outside of and fixed to the spinner; means for forcing air into theenvelope; means for discharging air frominside the envelope; andmechanism operated by power from the'pump is led through the valve tothe envelope; said rotary valve effecting alternate inflationanddeflation of thev envelope; the ring gear, valve, pump and connectingtubes al1 being balanced statically and dynamically so as to -becapab-le of rotation at the same speed as the propeller; Y and Vanoperator-controlled brake iixed to a stationary part of the airplane andhaving a pinion also meshing with the ring gear, said brake providingmeans to retard or stop rotation ofthe ring gear, thereby to cause saidvalve and pump to operate at speeds variable proportionately to theamount of retardation.

6.`Deicing apparatus for propeller spinners comprising, in combination,one or more inatable cells, each toroidal in form adapted to 'be securedupon the outside of a spinner; means for forcingair into the cells inregular sequence beginning with the cell nearest the nose of thespinner; vmeans for discharging compressed air from the cells in thesame sequence; both of said means being driven by power derived fromrotation of the spinner; and means to control the speed of operation ofboth of said means; the, entire apparatus except the control means beingbalanced dynamically and statically so as to be capable of rotating atthe same speed as the propeller.

HOWARD M. McCOY.

